Air distributor



y 1941. P. D. HARRIGAN 2,240,617 I AIR DISTRIBUTOR Filed Feb. 8, 1939 3 Sheets-sheaf. 1

3 /13 r l I J y P. D. HARRIGAN 2,240,617

AIR DISTRIBUTOR Filed Feb. 8, 19:59 a Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 6, 1941 AIR DISTRIBUTOR Paul D. arrigan, Milford,'0onn., assignor to Air Device Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 8, 1939, Serial N 0. 255,187

Claims.

This invention relates to air distributors, and more particularly to devices through which air may be introduced into a room or chamber for heating, ventilating, conditioning, or other purposes. Wherever air is introduced into a room, it

is desirable that the air be diffused as much as possible in order that it does not take the form of a draft and blow directly, or even indirectly, upon the occupants of the room, whether the air be for the purpose of ventilation, for heating, or for a combination of the two, such as is present in the usual air-conditioning systems. Such drafts are not only disagreeable and result in discomfort, but are also unhealthful.

When air is discharged into a room, it is usually discharged through an air distributor such as a register or grill secured to a side wall of the room, or upon the ceiling thereof. It will be apparent that if the air is allowed to pass outwardly from the distributor, or in a direction away from the surface to which the distributor is secured, it will take the form of a more or less harmful draft, and that the ideal condition in introducing such air is to so arrange the distributor that the flow therefrom will be in a direction substantiallyparallel to the surface to which the distributor is attached, instead of outwardly from that surface. That is to say, if the distributor is a ceiling installation, the flow of air entering therethrough should be discharged therefrom in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the ceiling so as not to blow downwardly, but to gradually difl'use downwardly, which diffusion will not be harmful or disagreeable to the occupants of the room.

Prior attempts have been made to realize the ideal condition in air distribution, and these de vices have sometimes taken the form of a plu rality of spaced and nested pyramidal or conical elements. Such elements are placed one below the other, and in the case of a ceiling installation, for example, they protrude to a considerable extent below the ceiling line so as to be objectionable to architects and interior designers from the standpoint of appearance. Moreover, such devices, while achieving to some extent the desired result, do not effect a truly horizontal distribution or flow of the air from the distributor.

One object of the present invention is to provide an air distributor or outlet member which will be substantially flush with the surface to which it is secured, and which will effect a discharge of air in a plane substantially parallel with said surface.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an air distributor in the form of a grill or the like, which will be of very limited depth so that it may readily be installed in a wall substantially flush with the surface thereof, and

' which distributor will be provided with means for effecting a discharge of the air passing therethrough in a plane substantially parallel with the surface of such wall.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an air distributor of the type described, which will be of relatively simple construction and which may be economically manufactured, and at the same time be of pleasing appearance.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an air distributor to be installed in a wall of a room or chamber to be suppliedv with air such that the distributor may receive air from an air duct substantially perpendicular to the wall, and change the direction of flow of such air so that it will be discharged in a plane substantially parallel to the wall.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face elevational view of an air distributor embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

gig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; an

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the front or face of the distributor looking in the direction of the arrow 5 on Fig. 3.

It may be stated that when in the description reference is made to the partitions or wall of a room, it will be understood that this term may refer to the side wall or to the ceiling, as the device illustrated is adapted to be employed in either a ceiling or a side wall installation.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown an air distributor comprising an outer frame member III which, as will be obvious from reference to the sectional views shown in Fig. 4, may be conveniently made V- shaped in cross-section, although it is to be understood that it is not limited to this particular shape. As shown, the outer edge or frame I 0 is substantially square. Such shape, however, is merely for the purpose of illustration, and this frame which gives shape to the device may be rectangular, circular, oblong, or of any desired configuration.

Within this frame are provided a plurality of stantially parallel to the sides of ,the frame. 5

Such an arrangement provides, of course, for equal distribution of the air from the device, in all directions. It will be understood, however, that the plates may merely be arranged in parallelism, if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It may also be noted that in each quarter of the device comprised within the triangular portiozbetween one of the edges and two diagonals meeting at the center, the plates II are arranged in parallel spaced relation, and this arrangement may be followed throughout the entire area of the distributor.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it

will be noted that, while one of the plates II is substantially parallel with the next adjacent plate, these plates do not lie in the same plane, but are tipped or inclined relatively to the general plane of the grid as a whole, which will, of

course, be parallel to the plane of the wall surface to which the grid is attached. Tipping or inclining the plates II in this manner, in addition to the spacing thereof, provides for elongated openings therebetween, and from reference to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the forward edge of one plate may be spaced slightly within the rear edge of the next adjacent plate, so as to leave a narrow slot therebetween when looking directly toward the grill, as illustrated in Fig. 1. It may alsobe noted that the inner part 36 of the V-shaped borderportion or frame I0 is parallel to the adjacent plate H, and in reality,

serves as the end plate of the series. As shown in Figs. 2 to 5, vanes l2 and I3 are provided on the rear faces of the plates ll. 40

Each of these vanes, as shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, is substantially triangular in shape, tapering substantially to a point at the rear edge of the plate, and being of suilicientv width at the front edge to span the space between the adjacent plates. These vanes by reason of the fact that each is secured to two adiacent plates, serve to connect the plates together into a rigid frame. The lower edge I of such vanes, as shown in Fig. 4, will be secured directly to the plate upon which the vane is disposed.

With reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the plane of each of the vanes I2 is not perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the corresponding plate II, but is inclined thereto, and while variation may be made in this respect,

, as illustrated, the vanes l3 upon an adjacent plate II areinclined in the opposite direction,

so that the vanes l2 and I3 upon adjacent plates meet in 'V-shaped formation. The plane of these vanes, as shown in Fig. 2, is substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the distributor.

At the center of the distributor or grill, I employ a substantially square pyramidal member,

each quarter of which corresponds to the pattern of the device as a whole in that it is parallel to the plates ll of the corresponding quarter of the distributor. This pyramidal member I5 is secured to the adjacent plates ill by means of vanes l6 of triangular shape, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2.v

m Fig. 3 of the drawings I have shown in a conventional manner the position of the device 75.

is shown at la. The air duct l8 and the dis-'- tributor cooperate to form a passage for air or the like through the partition II. The frame member l0 provides a. .border for the passage which engages the edges of the hole in the partition II, which hole is of a size and shape to flt the duct l8 and the member H). The distributor lies substantially flush with the surface of the partition and thus provides a neat appearing outlet for the air passage. The passage comprises a plurality of channels disposed within the bordering edge thereof described by the member Ill. The walls of each of the channels are made up of the plates II and the vanes I! or ill to comprise directing surfaces which determine the direction of air flow out of the distributor.

Each vane I! or l3, together with a portion of the plate ll, provides a directing surface for any given channel. The directing surface of each channel isthus made up of two parts: a

baille portion positioned in the path of travel of the air, anda deflecting portion which, in the embodiment shown, lies in a plane disposed in the direction of travel of the air. portion of the directing surface of each channel directs the flow of air laterally out of its direction of travel defined by the duct is, and directs the flow of air through the channel toward the edge of the outlet. The disclosed arrangement of plates H is such that the baflle portions of directing surfaces of the several channels are disposed to direct the flow of air in the several directions away from the center of the passage. In the embodiment shown, each 'baflle portion of a given channel operates to direct the flow of air toward the nearest edge of the outlet.v

'The deflecting portion of the directing surface of each channel operates to direct the flow out of line with the shortest path to the edge of the outlet, and in a direction to describe an angle with the edge of the distributor. The arrangement of directing surfaces in the several channels is such that the air is diifused in all disposed at different angles to the nearest edge of the distributor, the arrangement shown in the drawing presenting one practical embodiment. According to the arrangement shown, the plates II are disposed in tiers respectively spaced different distances from the edge member I, each tier paralleling the edge member on the several sides of the duct. The several vanes I2 of one tier all describe a given angle with the edge, and the vanes [3 of the next adjacent tier describe an angle disposed in the opposite direction. Thus the channels in each tier cooperate to swirl the air in one direction as it leaves the distributor, and the channels in different tiers operate toswirl the air in opposite directions to' produce a diversified directioning of air flow out of the distributor.

It will be seen that the device herein described is substantially flush with the wall or ceiling a space of very limited depth. Moreover, it will effect discharge of the air in a plane substantlally at right angles to the direction of the how of the entering air, and will, of course, function The battle asi ei'i equally well, regardless of its shape, whether round, elliptical, square, oblong or provided in a continuous strip of any width or length, that is, having the plates ll all extended in the same direction and parallel to each other.

As illustrated, the plates ll constitute louver elements presenting louver openings therebetween, and the front and rear edges of the plates lie respectively in spaced substantially parallel planes, the plafes' themselves being inclined relatively to such planes. It may also be noted that the vanes i2 and I3, due to their triangular shape, lie wholly between these planes, thus providing a distributor of limited depth which may beinstalled in a small space to lie flush with the wall upon which it is secured.

It will readily be seen that the device can be so made as to discharge the air in all directions, or in any desired direction, depending upon the arrangement of the plates II, and can be conveniently made by casting or other economical methods. Moreover, the distributor is equally suitable for side wall or baseboard mounting, for vertical delivery downwardly or upwardly, or both, or for ceiling mounting, for horizontal delivery, and may, of course, also be employed with cabinet heaters, cabinet air conditioners, or similar devices. In all of such cases it is desirable that the air be diffused in a plane substantially parallel to the wall or surface upon which the distributor is mounted, and it is also highly desirable to provide a distributor which will achieve this result, and which will be substantially flush with the surface upon which it is disposed.

While I have shown and described a preferred,

embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An air-distributing device comprising a plurality of plates disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation, the front edges of said plates lying in substantially a single plane, and said plates being inclined relatively to said plane, and vanes provided on one surface of each of said plates, said vanes extending in an oblique direction relatively to the longitudinal dimensions of the plates.

2. An air distributing device comprising a plurality of plates disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation, the front edges of said plates lying in substantially a single plane, and said plates being inclined relatively to said plane, and vanes provided on one surface of each of said plates, said vanes extending in an oblique direction relatively to the longitudinal dimensions of the plates, and said vanes extending into the spaces between the plates.

3. An air-distributing device comprising a plurality of plates disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation, the front edges of said plates lying in substantially a single plane, and said plates being inclined relatively to said plane, and vanes provided on one surface of each of said plates, said vanes extending in an oblique direction relatively to the longitudinal dimensions of the plates, and said vanes having one side thereof extending between the front edge of one plate and the rear edge of an adjacent plate.

4. An air-distributing device comprising a plurality of places disposed in spaced substansaid plates. said vanes extending in an oblique direction relatively to the longitudinal dimensions of the plates, and said vanes having one side thereof extending between the front edge of one plate and the rear edge of an adjacent plate and being secured to both said plates to connect the latter together.

5. An air-distributing device comprising a plurality of plates disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation, the front edges of said plates lying in substantially a single plane, and said plates being inclined relativelytosaid plane, and=vanes provided on one surface of each of said plates, said vanes extending in an oblique direction relatively to the longitudinal dimensions of the plates, and the vanes on one plate extending at an angle to those on an adjacent pla e.

6. An air distributor comprising a plurality of .flat elongated elements rigidly secured together in spaced parallel relation, the surfaces of said elements being inclined to the general plane of the distributor to present louver openings, 8 plurality of vanes provided on the rear face of each of said elements to project rearwardly therefrom, and said vanes extending at an oblique angle to the longitudinal dimensions of said elements and spanning the spaces between adjacent elements.

7. An air distributor comprising a plurality of and inclined to the longitudinal dimension thereof.

8. An air distributor comprising a plurality of louver elements secured together in parallel spaced relation to present openings therebetween, each of said elements consisting of a flat plate having spaced parallel vanes upon one surface thereof, said vanes lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the plate and inclined to the longitudinal dimension thereof, and said vanes being of triangular form and tapering to an apex adjacent one edge of the plate.

9. An outlet device for an air passage comprising, an edge member defining the periphery of the passage, and a plurality of channels within the border of the edge member and arranged in a tier juxtaposed on several sides of the passage, each channel including a baille surface disposed in the path of the air flow and describing an acute angle with a plane normal to the direction of travel of air through the passage, deflecting surfaces engaging the baille surface and extending away therefrom toward the air approach, each deflecting surface describing an acute angle with the edge member, the baiiie surfaces of the several channels being positioned to direct air flow away from the center of the passage and toward the edge thereof at several sides, the angles of the several deflecting surfaces of channels along several sides of the passage being disposed in the same direction with respect to the adjacent portion of theedge member. 5

10. An outlet device for an air passage comprising; an edge member defining the periphery of the passage, and a plurality of channels within the border of the edge member and arranged in parallel tiers juxtaposed on several sides of the passage, each channel including a baille sursurfaces oithe several channels being positioned to=direct air flow away from the center of the .passage and toward the edge thereof at several sides, the angles of the several deflecting surraces of channels in a given tier along several sides 01' the passage being disposed in the same direction with respect to the adjacent portion of the edge member, the angles of deflecting surfaces 01' channels in addacent tiers being dis posed in opposite directions.

PAUL n. HARR'IGAN. 

